One of the biggest changes the web has brought about in a retail sense of recent years is the ability to pick up anything on the face of the Earth second-hand for what could be a bargain price. There’s literally nothing out there that isn’t on the cards for fantastically lower prices than would be paid for a brand new product – this includes heavy-duty building supplies like steel beams and RSJs.
A quick web search is enough to return thousands of different products that have to one extent or another already been put to use. And with such massive savings available, those with budgets to stick to and deadlines to meet can naturally find themselves making a beeline for these above and beyond the new-buy items on the market.
However, it’s something of a two-sided argument to say the least in terms of whether or not it’s a good idea to go for second-hand beams and RSJs as while there are savings to be made, savings are far from the be all and end all of the matter. According to the experts at wesellrsj.co.uk, more often than not there are too many risks attached to the purchase of second-hand beams to consider it a realistic option for those looking to make the most of their own building project.
The Pros
In terms of pros, there’s plenty to be said for picking up used goods…at least in principle. Right off the bat comes the subject of savings, which in the case of buying used can mean up to 50% knocked off the price you’d normally be looking to pay for what you need. This has the potential to massively reduce overall build costs and make budgets go so much further than they normally would, making a hugely appealing prospect for project managers.
Then of course comes the fact that they’re readily available up and down the country from dozens, even hundreds of resellers and so are easy to get hold of. Last but not least, there’s no getting away from the fact that when you reuse something that still has life left in it, this amounts to perhaps the very best type of recycling there is and is therefore a good choice for the sake of the environment. So all in all, buying used is not without its charms.
The Cons
As for the other side of the argument, there’s one rather large and rather important downside that comes with choosing second-hand – you have no real way of knowing whether what you’re buying still has the quality, integrity and dependability it had when it was first manufactured. What’s more, you won’t be able to tell whether the information you’re given by the seller is accurate in terms of when it was first bought, how it has been used or whether it’s been exposed to anything detrimental over the years. And should you find further down the line that there’s something amiss, chances are you won’t have a leg to stand on and nor will there be any guarantees offered with what you buy.
The simple fact of the matter is that if you’re planning to build anything at all where strength, safety and dependability matter, it’s pretty dangerous to use products you cannot be 100% confident in. You may make a few savings in doing so, but there’s really no sense in cutting costs if it means cutting corners in a manner that could put your whole build in jeopardy.
In Conclusion
In terms of final conclusions therefore, it all comes down to two very important things – what the RSJs are to be used for and who you buy them from. If for example you’re going about some kind of small-scale project on a somewhat amateur level and there won’t be any huge risks attached in doing so, there’s nothing to say that second-hand RSJs can’t work a treat and bring along great savings. In addition, there are certain approved and reputable resellers on the market that are experienced in selling only certified and fully guaranteed second-hand beams that have been thoroughly checked for quality and strength – buying from these is also an option.
However, if and when the project at hand is one of a more large-scale and intensive nature, there’s really no escaping the fact that brand-new RSJs from the best brands on the market really are the only safe choices to go with. It may cost a little more, but it’s the kind of instance where you simply cannot put a price on quality.
John Smith 